My resent bilge pump install was just crazy. First I had to tear the boat apart to expose part of the bilge pump discharge overboard system. Then I had to pull apart the Aft STBD Stateroom to expose the discharge hoses for the bilge pump and the engine cooling water. Then I found a mystery hose, followed it from the discharge overboard hull fitting back through the boat and to the engine compartment. And what do you know there is a pump right where I'm getting ready to install my new pump. The little old Rule Pump appears to be dead.

Now I'm thinking my job just got easier. Just pull the old pump, install the new Rule Pump, and reconnect wiring and plumbing done, right? No, wrong! First thing that was a problem was I had to work over the engine into a bilge where both hands would not fit. Then I had to unscrew a bracket by brail and the screw head a flat tip head. Again I was using one hand, my left hand (I'm right handed). It must have taken me 45 minutes to get one screw loose. I thought okay, I have it out. It won't be so bad going back in. I'm such an optimist.

So now I cleaned the bilge. It was pretty nasty down there. Because it's so difficult to reach, I don't think anyone has cleaned it. So I did just that. I ran down to the dollar store and bought a gallon of degreaser for a buck. Poured the degreaser into the bilge and cleaned, cleaned, and then cleaned some more. I pulled so much stuff out of there I think I may have found Jimmy Hoffa. Now I have one clean bilge. When I got out of the Navy I swore I wound never clean a bilge again. Never, say never! After spending so much time cleaning, I really needed to get off the boat for a bit. So I went up to the marina office and got a cup of coffee.

Nursing my scratched up arms and bruised ribs, I though the worse was over and now it be a snap to reinstall the pump. I gather myself up and head back down to the boat. It did not take too long to install the pump. Now it was time to rewire pump. In short, I had pulled the wires through the wiring harness, install plug in terminals making it easier to replace the pump in the future. I wired ground to ground, manual lead to a terminal cap, and auto to the hot lead. I added water, waited 2.5 minutes as per instructed. Nothing! Holly Cow, now what? Now it came time to trouble shoot wiring.

The start battery is located directly in front of the engine. I pealed back the manual wire for the pump and touched the exposed wire directly to the positive battery terminal. Shazam! The pump turned on and pumped out the water in put in the bilge. Now I did the same with the automatic lead and the pump turned on and pumped out the water and shut off just like it was supposed to. Pump good, wiring not good. By my quick test I knew the ground was good. So now it came time to chase hot wire. I took a while, but I chased the wire out the engine compartment, through two bilges, under my fuel tank an then up through my Nav Station to the Electrical Control Panel (ECP). It is a rat's nest of wire behind panel. I had been behind there before wiring up my main VHF Radio. I was not too excited about pulling the panel.

Looking at the panel I thought just maybe, one of the previous owners thought it would be a great idea to wire the bilge pump to one of the switches not being used on the ECP. So I turn on every switch on the ECP and what do you know, the pump turns on. I thought you've got to be kidding me! So now I turn each switch off one by one until the pump turns off. The switch labeled "4" (Fathometer) is the switch the pump is wired to. The bilge pump was wired to it. Really? I know that the Fathometer is wired to another switch that is used to turn on all of my instruments, so it's no big deal. It would have been really nice of the previous owner to have clued me in on the switch or maybe labeled the switch. It would have saved me a lot of time getting to know my boat better than I ever really wanted too. I believe I see a boat rewire in my future. We'll at least a date with a label maker.

Mark Welpman
SV Cygnet
1986 Jeanneau Sunshine 36/38